Thank you for taking action!

Vote NO on SB364 on Tuesday

I ask you to vote NO on SB364 on Tuesday in the State & Local Government Committee.

The amendment added to the bill in the House, exempting Tennessee Economic and Community Development, makes it clear that this bill is targeting local government.

But local governments use incentives, too, to attract good jobs to their communities. This bill will take away tools from local governments as they attempt to attract good jobs based on health insurance, family leave, wages, and anti-discrimination policies. That means taxpayers are getting less value for their economic development dollars.

Another disadvantage of this bill is that it affects local governments when they contract with nonprofits for social services. What if a local government wants to give more points in a competitive bidding process to non-profits that serve everyone or serve certain populations but a non-profit won't serve that population or a part of that population? That was not addressed in the House discussion of the bill.

This bill seems to open local governments to litigation if they show any favor to a company or non-profit organization with good policies. The assessment of local government liability really wasn't considered in the House discussion of the bill.

There are just too many outstanding questions on this bill to move forward.

Thank you for considering my views.

summary

This bill takes tools away from local governments in their grant-making and contracting capacities. It opens the door to taxpayer funded discrimination.

who will receive your email?

Steven Dickerson Senator

Richard Briggs Senator

Shane Reeves Senator

Jeff Yarbro Senator

Todd Gardenhire Senator

Ed Jackson Senator

Brian Kelsey Senator

Dawn White Senator

Ken Yager Senator

why sign?

This bill is written ambiguously.

This bill takes tools away from state and local government to get taxpayers the best deal for their money.